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Brodert Quink (The Runelords of Thassilon)
Brodert Quink discusses the Runelords of ancient Thassilon and the origins of modern magic. The Runelords of Ancient Thassilon "Where to begin..." the old man took the lenses from their perch on his nose and set to fastiduously cleaning them, his earlier distraction having eased a bit with the prospect of a willing audience... "So much about ancient Thassilon is unknown or is merely conjecture at this point. For all their ruins dot this land, little is known for certain about the mighty empire upon who's bones all of Varisia is built. Our ignorance is, of course, fostered in large part by Earthfall and its aftermath... when an empire is collapsing in fire and blood few have the good sense to keep detailed records for future scholars like myself." There is a twinkle in his eye as he replaces his glasses which gives you the impression he is speaking only half in jest. "We do know that the empire collapsed at least seven millenia ago though I personally suspect it was closer to ten. And we know something about its rulership - the Runelords as they were known and their 'seven virtues of rule', rumored to have been handed down to them by some greater benefactor..." he gestures at the stone tablet on the table with its elaborate seven-pointed star before listing them from memory, "Generosity, Love, Humility, Temperance, Gratitude, Compassion and Industry... whether each of the seven Runelords gravitated towards those virtues by choice or had the virtues were assigned to them after the fact is unclear, but what is clear is that over time, as they grew in power and wealth, they descended into corruption and avarice, and those cherished virtues they represented became perverted into what we now know as the seven great sins of the soul - Greed, Lust, Pride, Gluttony, Envy, Wrath and Sloth." Sitting up, the old man reached to pour himself some more tea, meticulous as he measured out a dollop of honey to stir into the steaming cup. "I trust you are at least passingly familiar with the traditionally accepted schools of magic? Those traditions were defined by the Runelords who held to no such limitations, but rather allowed thier individual natures and particular interests to drive their research... much less was known of magic in those times, much less and in some ways a great deal more..." he trails off for a second, his eyes taking on a faraway look as he absently sipped at his tea... musing... before stirring himself with a start and continuing. "Our schools of magic were predominantly founded by what we learned of that age, each following the precepts laid down by one of the Runelords and the discoveries or advances each in turn had made. Now this isn't something widely discussed outside of magical academies - where such history is deemed both necessarily pertinent and potentially embarassing - but supposedly it aligns in thusly: Conjuration magic, attributed to Krune, the Runelord of Sloth, summons agents to serve a wizards will, allows one to travel great distances without taking a single step or fabricates some item or substance without the labor one would normally have to invest. Enchantment magic, attributed to Sorshen, the Runelord of Lust, focuses on subverting or outright dominating the thoughts and emotions - indeed the very will of others. Transformation magic is attributed to Karzoug, the Runelord of Greed and pertains mostly to enhancing the value of items or individuals, subjective value that is, as the wizard himself perceives it. Necromancy, interestingly enough, is attributed to the Zutha, Runelord of Gluttony - perhaps because of his never-ending hunger for the pleasures life held, and his all-consuming desire to extend that life indefinitely that he might experience them all. Illusion is given to Xanderghul, the Runelord of Pride, as so often that's all pride is - self-deception and the consequrnt deception of others in order to maintain the facade. Abjuration magic was attributed to Belimarius, the Runelord of Envy as he sought to supress the magics of others, all others, except that of he and his agents. Evocation magic, the most overtly destructive of the schools, is naturally attributed to Alanzist, the Runelord of Wrath whom was known to have harnessed powerful energies, raw and unrefined, in order to wield it against others." "Now Divination magic is the lone school not attributed to a particular virtue or sin, nor to any Runelords... there are theories that such magic was suppressed at the time, perhaps by the mysterious patron the Runelords were beholden to, perhaps by the forgotten Goddess Lissala who saw true knowledge as the only real power... mayhap it simply wasn't considered a serious pursuit or each of the Runelords pursued it equally... remember, the schools as we know them now didn't exist at the time, they were predominantly formed in reaction to the Runelords advances in the magical arts and what little we know of them today." Brodert took another sip of his tea, musing... "Now we know something of the Runelords themselves but not much. The Runelord of Wrath - Alaznist - ruled the very land upon which we sit, once part of a nation known as Bak-ra-khan. Most of it perished beneath the waves - we are in fact just on what would have been its eastern edge. I suspect what we uncovered in the catacombs below the town would have been some sort of forward base, complete with stores for a siege and interrogation chambers for captured spies or enemies of war. In truth, that all but confirms my suspicions about the Old Light - collegues in Magnimar and elsewhere have scoffed, but I believe it used to be much, much taller, actually one of a series of flumes along the eastern border which served as a primary line of defense against Shalast to the east, capable of harnessing great energies and projecting them at range. In fact, the map we discovered showing the boundary between the two kingdoms seems to have the exact placement of those flumes shown on them - Torabor is going to be absolutely livid when I show him!" The wizened Sage's grin breaks, his pleasure evident, before continuing on. "Shalast, incidentally, was the domain of Kourzog, the Runelord of Greed, and whether the two nations were constantly at war or instead suffered a long series of seperate wars in succession is another debated point, but there was no love lost between the two, of that you can be certain." He finished his tea with a regretful sigh and sat back, setting the now empty cup aside. "Sad to say, that is as much as we know for certain about those two of the seven, and less if known about the others. Sorshen, the Runelord of Lust, we know that she ruled a region south of here, beyond the Yondabakari River, a kingdom called Eurythnia, most of which has also been lost to the sea. There are suggestions that she played the two of them, Alanzist and Karzoug, against one another, and may have been the clandestine source of much of their strife... but that is really just conjecture. For the other runelords, we have names and precious few tidbits besides. Most of the rest of what I could tell you would be theories, not all of which I agree with. I do wish that thrice-cursed Sheriff would have allowed me more time to study the catacombs. Those documents we recovered were damaged almost beyond repair but I did manage to get some sketchings of the writings on the walls... and the likeness of the statue. The statue! You know, if I'm correct that might be the first surviving known image of the Runelord Alanzist! I'm going to have to contact some of my collegues in Magnimar, see what pressure can be brought to bear to reopen those chambers... perhaps bring the Pathfinders in on it; I'm loathe to let those meddlers and grave robbers in on it and have them tramping around down there, disturbing my work, but they do have the political connections and resources to get things done." "At any rate, regarding the catacombs that were uncovered - what I found most intriguing was how much of the upper level was devoted to the temple of Lamashtu; up til now I've heard no mention of a connection between the Mother of Monsters and Alanzist, or any of the Runelords for that matter. At the time, the region was consumed with the worship of Lissala above all others... it could be that Alanzist was in league with the Goddess or at the very least petitioned her for demonic aid in her machinations. Powerful as they were, the Runelords were not above seeking allies where they could be found - Sorshen was rumored to favor intelligent undead like vampires and to have made pacts with demons like the succubi. Karzoug allied himself with dragons and is also believed to have even created entire races to serve him, such as the so-called 'Rune Giants' to serve as shock troops in his armies and the Faceless that could change their appearance at whim to serve as his spies. It is a connection which will demand more study, I think." Category:Exposition